Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reviewed by Evan S., 10th Grade
Rating: 8/10
This novel is one that just from a glance, wouldn't look like my kind of book. The genre of dramatic realistic fiction isn't really my preferred read, but this book was truly a good pick, and I hope you'll enjoy it too!
This novel follows a very careful pessimist named Petula. Petula's life is full of constant worry and anxiety. Petula grows her fear off of a tragic accident from her youth, where a button choked her baby sister to death. Worst of all, she completely blames herself for the accident and refuses to move on.
Petula's parents also have a very similar issue, where they lack good coping skills to the loss of Petula's sister. Her mother becomes a crazy cat lady, and her father keeps himself absorbed in his work. Petula's strained family dynamic doesn't help any of them deal with the loss.
Petula has constant irrational fears, such as earthquakes in the Canadian city setting of Toronto. Petula is a major germaphobe- worse than you could even imagine. By chance, Petula is dragged into a friend group with classmates in a youth art therapy group while pursuing one particular member, Jacob. Petula becomes fascinated by the joyful mess in his life, and how carefree and optimistic he is. Throughout the novel, Petula slowly opens herself up to new opportunities and risks her past self would never trust.
This book has a lot of witty jokes and memorable plot points, and the cast of characters that all seem to grow alongside Petula add to the novel's charm! This novel wasn't all perfect, and yes, there were some parts that just felt boring, but by the end of the novel, I can say that I enjoyed my time with this book.